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McGinn and Vulcan: What does their relationship mean for SLU?

I’ve been reading a lot of blog postings this week about Mayor-Elect Mike McGinn’s connections to Vulcan. In particular, this post by Erica Barnett on Publicola. It’s about how McGinn lobbied against legislation that created incentive zoning for affordable housing. I understand that there were many legitimate reasons for not supporting this legislation. What really makes me sit up and take notice though are the connections between Vulcan and McGinn that her post highlights.

Appointing Phil Fujii, Vulcan community relations manager, as a deputy mayor doesn’t seem so sinister given his long history of working for the city. I learned from Publicola, however, that Vulcan gave a generous donation to help McGinn start his non-profit, Great City, and that Vulcan representatives remained heavily involved. And apparently McGinn will be holding a fundraiser on December fourteenth at our very own South Lake Union Discovery Center.

It’s no secret that Vulcan wields a lot of power in SLU. So what happens to our neighborhood when the already powerful Vulcan also goes way back with the new mayor?

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.